Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site in Laclede, Missouri, is maintained by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as a state historic site. General John Joseph "Jack" Pershing led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I and attained the rank of

General of the Armies General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States Army. The rank has been conferred three times: to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accola ...

. Pershing was born on a farm outside Laclede, but lived in the home from age six to adulthood. The historic site preserves and interprets the boyhood home and the one-room Prairie Mound School at which he taught for a year before attending West Point Military Academy. The home has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1969, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

History

The

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style home was constructed circa 1857, and purchased by the Pershing family in 1866. Pershing remained in the home after completing high school, taking a teaching position at nearby Prairie Mound School until he left to attend the First District Normal School in

Kirksville, Missouri Kirksville is the county seat and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri. Located in Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 census. Kirksville is home to two colleges: Truman State University and A.T. Still University. ...

. After graduating he returned to Laclede and taught at the Prairie Mound School again until being accepted to West Point. The Pershing home was acquired by the state of Missouri in 1952 when it was learned the owner at that time was intending to raze the building. On September 13, 1960, as part of a national centennial celebration of Pershing's birth, the home was officially dedicated in his memory and the soldiers who served under him.

Activities and amenities

The home features period-specific furniture from the mid- and late-1800s as well as a small museum chronicling the life of Pershing. A few steps away, the restored Prairie Mound school also offers interpretive displays. Tours are available. The garden features a Wall of Honor with the names of war veterans as well as a life-size statue of Pershing (pictured at right) created in the 1950s by sculptor Carl Mose.

References

External links

Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pershing, Gen. John J., Boyhood Home Museums in Linn County, Missouri Biographical museums in Missouri Protected areas established in 1952 Missouri State Historic Sites Historic house museums in Missouri National Historic Landmarks in Missouri Historic American Buildings Survey in Missouri Houses completed in 1857 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Linn County, Missouri 1857 establishments in Missouri 1952 establishments in Missouri

History

Activities and amenities

See also

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External links